“The world’s most important divided nation, Korea, hosts one of the world’s most volatile international confrontations. Renewed conflict there could be as intense as the ongoing Russian–Ukrainian war, potentially drawing in the United States, China, Russia, and Japan. Healing the division that led to the Korean War would be the most obvious way to preempt a military rerun—this time with nuclear weapons. Germany’s experience demonstrates the great benefits of reversing artificial national divisions resulting from, and threatening to restart, conflict. Indeed, German reunification was the single event that most dramatically illustrated the end of the Cold War between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. Unfortunately, the possibility of Korean reunification is looking ever more like an impossible dream.” (02/12/26)
Source: Libertarian Institute
by Joseph Solis-Mullen
“William J. Watkins Jr.’s The Independent Guide to the Constitution: Original Intentions, Modern Inventions is an admirably clear-eyed and disciplined examination of a document that has, over the course of two centuries, been transformed from a charter of limited and enumerated powers into a font of nearly unlimited federal authority. Watkins writes with alarm at how far modern constitutional doctrine has drifted from the Founders’ design — but his book is more than a lament. It is a structured, systematic guide to how the Constitution was meant to work, how it has been distorted, and what might yet be salvaged.” 902/12/26)
“A Ukrainian athlete has been disqualified from the Winter Olympics over his insistence on wearing a helmet honoring people killed in his country’s war with Russia. The International Olympic Committee said in a statement early Thursday that skeleton racer Vladylsav Heraskevych, the Ukrainian flag bearer, was ‘not allowed to participate at Milano Cortina 2026 after refusing to adhere to the IOC athlete expression guidelines.’ The decision was announced shortly before Heraskevych was due to compete in the men’s skeleton competition, in which he was considered a legitimate medal contender. ‘This is price of our dignity,’ he said in a post on X. Heraskevych indicated he would appeal the decision to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Kyiv labeled his disqualification a ‘moment of shame’ for the IOC.” (02/12/26)
“This legislative session in California, there is considerable discussion about a state domestic violence registry, a publicly accessible, searchable list of those who have been convicted of domestic violence. While obviously well-intentioned, a registry of this kind would list many wrongfully charged and convicted abuse survivors. Such a registry would also likely decrease domestic violence reporting and keep survivors in abusive situations.” (02/11/26)
“South Korea’s former interior minister was sentenced Thursday to seven years in prison for abetting then-President Yoon Suk Yeol’s brief declaration of martial law in 2024. The verdict for Lee Sang-min came a week before a different judge at the same Seoul court rules on whether Yoon’s actions amounted to rebellion, a crime for which prosecutors are seeking the death penalty. Lee, who led the ministry of interior and safety, was convicted for helping carry out the declaration and passing along Yoon’s orders to the country’s police and fire chiefs to cut water and electricity to news organizations that were critical of his policies. The instructions weren’t carried out since martial law was lifted quickly after lawmakers broke through a military and police blockade at the National Assembly and unanimously voted to lift it.” (02/12/26)
“Tim and JVL go through various moments from Pam Bondi’s hearing in the Congressional Oversight Committee, in which she evades, lies, and covers for Donald Trump.” (02/11/26)
“In some of the most beautiful and prosperous places in America, a curious paradox has taken hold: the people who benefit most from capitalism increasingly appear to resent it. They live in high-amenity cities and mountain towns with preserved open space, reliable infrastructure, advanced healthcare, abundant leisure, and the freedom to choose where and how they live. These conditions did not arise spontaneously. They are the cumulative result of markets, private investment, innovation, and long-term economic growth. Yet in these same environments, it has become socially fashionable to describe capitalism as immoral, exploitative, or fundamentally broken. This is often dismissed as hypocrisy. That framing is too simple. What we are witnessing is not merely individual inconsistency, but a structural paradox produced by success itself. Capitalism generates abundance, and abundance reshapes human priorities.” (02/11/26)
Source: Semafor
by Eleanor Mueller & Shelby Talcott
“Nearly six weeks after the Trump administration ousted Venezuela’s leader with plans to effectively run the country, its manner of doing so is increasingly opaque. The first US sale of Venezuelan oil took place 11 days after President Donald Trump’s declaration that the US would rely on Caracas’ oil revenues to control its future. But one month after Semafor reported that proceeds from an initial $500 million sale were held in a Qatari account, there is no sign of a second successful sale. There’s also no clarity on when future proceeds will shift to a US-based Treasury Department account from the Qatari account, which was used to help shield the oil proceeds from Venezuela’s creditors.” (02/11/26)
